China has made great improvements in environmental protection during the past 70 years. Each species on Earth has a role to play in the ecosystem.
In recent decades, a series of wildlife-protection movements has been carried out by the central government. The giant panda and the crested ibis(朱鹮) are among these successful stories.
The giant panda used to have a population of 1,114 in the 1970s. It now totals 1, 864 thanks to 52 protection areas. By the end of last year, seven of the nine released pandas had survived in the wild. In 1981, only seven crested ibises were found in Yang County, Shaanxi Province. Since then, breeding programs have helped the population reach 2, 000. China has even sent crested ibises to Japan and South Korea in recent years to help with the species' survival.
Key projects will be continually carried out to improve protection, including making the lists of wild animals and plants under State protection, and also fighting against illegal wildlife trade, which includes the ivory(象牙)trade.
A. Another species was once thought to be extinct.
B. Protecting wildlife is, without doubt, an important part.
C. China will continue its efforts in the wildlife protection.
D. People call for immediate protection of the remaining species.
E. Scientists have worked to feed pandas and then release them into the wild.
F. As environmental damage has increased, signs of change have appeared around the world.
G. Several species in danger of extinction have made impressive progress thanks to the methods.
An important decision (make) by the National People's Congress Standing Committee(全国人大常委会)in February, 2020. The decision made clear that all animals, including those on the protection list of the existing Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife or other laws and all terrestrial(陆生的) wildlife, are banned from consumption. The decision announced that anyone illegally hunts, trades, transports or eats wild animals on the protection list of the existing laws will be (severe) punished. The decision also said any store (break) the laws would be closed and face heavy (punish).
"Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the (risk) of eating wild animals have aroused wide public concern," an official said. "At the critical moment in epidemic prevention and control, it's highly necessary for the NPC Standing Committee (pass) such a special decision."
However, aquatic(水生的)wild animals like fish are not on the prohibition list. Common poultry(家禽) and livestock(家畜) like pigs, cattle and sheep are also not on the list. Animals that (raise) for a long time, such as pigeons and rabbits, are not on the list, either. "The decision may cause economic losses for some farmers who raise animals. Local governments should help them adjust and transform production and bussiness activities, and offer them compensation depending the practical situation," the official said.
Protecting China's Giant Pandas
China's giant pandas show the achievement of the international effort to save animals that are now in danger. In television programmes we often see pandas 1 funny games. Children have panda toys and beautiful cards with pictures of lovely 2 in them. They often visit the giant pandas in the zoos on 3 holidays and have a good time there. However, scientists are worried about 4 of giant pandas. They know only about 1,000 giant pandas remain 5 today. They think the giant pandas will die out in 30 years if the present conditions are not 6.
It is reported that the giant pandas have a very 7 birth rate. About 115 pandas live in the zoos and research centres mainly in China, but during the past 10 years they 8 only 34 9 pandas that are still alive. The survival rate of giant pandas in the wild is probably the same or lower.
There are several reasons for the low 10. The main reason is 11 male pandas can make love with females in a very 12 season—only a few days a year. When they do have babies, females often produce two pandas, but the mother is usually not able to care for 13 of them. The newborn pandas 14 only a few kilograms each. They are too weak to live without special care. In the zoo, scientists can help the mothers 15 the young pandas, but those living in the wild do not get enough 16. It is very difficult for mother pandas to bring up their young pandas.
Conditions for the giant pandas have been worse in recent years. Pandas in China continue to 17 in number. We know pandas live on bamboos. But sometimes all the bamboos in one area die. The pandas there have 18 to eat and die of hunger.
Giant pandas now live in 13 separate 19 areas in China. Several years ago the Chinese government and the International Wildlife Organization agreed 20 a project of protecting giant pandas in the wild. We hope it could be useful.
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list, fur probably didn't cross your mind. But some ecologists and fashion(时装)enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria(海狸鼠).
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles. "It sounds crazy to talk about guilt-free fur—unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year," says Cree McCree, project director of Righteous Fur.
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters $5 a tail. Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month.
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild. "The ecosystem down there can't handle this non-native species(物种). It's destroying the environment. It's them or us," says Michael Massimi, an expert in this field.
The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades, but when the market for nutria collapsed in the late 1980s, the cat-sized animals multiplied like crazy.
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana. He says it's not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green, but he has no doubt about it. Hunters bring in more than 300,000 nutria tails a year, so part of Mouton's job these days is trying to promote fur.
Then there's Righteous Fur and its unusual fashions. Model Paige Morgan says, "To give people a guilt-free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them—I think that's going to be a massive thing, at least here in New York. "Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable. She's trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco-friendly.
Wildlife officials are using robotic bears to catch poachers(盗猎者)before they can do any damage to real bears.
Robotic taxidermal animals are serving as a new kind of undercover agents. Wildlife officers are using them to attract and catch poachers across the United States, according to the Washington Post.
The officers set up the animals in environments where shooting them is illegal and then wait out of sight for poachers who attempt to shoot. They can control the robots with a remote. Although the robotic animals can't walk or run, they are capable of making smaller movements like lifting their legs or turning their heads. And as recent reports suggest, they're realistic enough to be effective in attracting poachers.
Companies such as Robotic Decoys and Custom Robotic Wildlife sell a variety of mechanical animals, including deer, foxes, and bears. Mike Kleman, owner of Robotic Decoys, explains that he makes the animals by following the general taxidermy procedure of fastening a hide to a form. But then, he adds servo motors(伺服电动机)—the type also used in model cars and airplanes—to the neck, ears, tail, or legs. His robo-animals can be controlled using a radio remote or soon, an app.
Kleman's company is based in Wisconsin, but they ship to officers around the country. The robo-animals range from around $700 for a fox to $4, 800 for a moose, but organizations such as the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust ease the financial burden by donating robotic animals to cash-lacked government agencies. The organization has donated robotic animals to agencies in 16 different states, according to its website.
And in the future, the robo-animal agents could help deal with international poaching problems, too.
"I would like to figure out how to make rhinos, "Kleman told Popular Science. "There's a big issue overseas about rhino poaching. "
The kakapo is the world's heaviest and only flightless parrot. Now, some scientists are using advanced technology to rescue the endangered kakapos. If successful, the techniques used may help save other bird species as well.
The few remaining kakapos live on three small islands, where their progress can be monitored through a smart device. Once found in large numbers across New Zealand, the cute bird, which can weigh up to 11 pounds (about 5 kilograms), is now heading to extinction. While cruel predators (捕食者) such as foxes, cats, and snakes are largely to blame, the kakapo's strange habits of laying eggs don't help either. For starters, the parrots, which can live up to 100 years, do not start laying eggs until the age of five.
Scientists have set up individual feeding stations for all the birds to keep track of how much they eat. Given the difficulties in increasing the population, it is not surprising that only 114 adult parrots remain. Though the number is low, it is a great improvement over the 51 kakapos that remained on Earth in 1995. The increase of its population results from the government's decision to remove the 51 birds to three small predator-free islands off the coast of New Zealand, and the efforts of a team led by Andrew Digby, a kakapo scientist for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
A four-day-old kakapo chick will receive a health check. Young chicks in nests are examined and weighed every night, to ensure they are healthy.
Once the birds lay eggs, the eggs are carefully moved from the nests and taken to a hatching (孵化) room to hatch. "We tend to be more successful at raising kakapo eggs than the kakapo, " says Digby. "We break less of them." Once the eggs hatch, each mother is given only one chick, while the rest of the newborns are hand-fed (人工喂养). This helps ensure they all receive enough food.
A day in the clouds
The air is thin and we have to rest several times on the short hike from camp. To our left, snow-covered mountains disappear into clouds that seem almost close enough to touch. On the plain(平原) in front of us, we can just make out a herd of graceful animals. This is why we stay here.
Tibetan antelopes live mainly on the plains of Tibet. Watching them move slowly across the green grass, I'm struck by their beauty. I'm also reminded of the danger they are in. They are being hunted, illegally, for their valuable fur.
My guide is Zhaxi, a villager from Changtang. He works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a safe place for the animals and plants of northwestern Tibet. To Zhaxi, protecting the wildlife is a way of life. "We're not trying to save the animals," he says. "Actually, we're trying to save ourselves."
In the 1980s and 1990s the population of Tibetan antelopes dropped by more than 50 percent. Hunters were shooting antelopes to make money. Their living places were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.
In order to save Tibetan antelopes, the Chinese government placed them under national protection. Zhaxi and volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.
The measures were effective. The antelope population has recovered and in June 2015, the Tibetan antelope was removed from the endangered species list(濒危物种名单). The government, however, does not intend to stop the protection programmes, since the threats to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.
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due to, die out, make progress, become aware of, on average, under pressure, recover from, be concerned about |
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in relief; protect…from…; pay close attention to; in danger of; burst into laughter; in peace; die out |
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修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
To enrich students' school life, an excited competition was held on last Saturday on the school playground. Ten boys and ten girls selected by each class lined beside the rope and grasped it, eager waiting for the start. With the whistle blowing, the participants tried their best to pull the rope, while those standing by cheered desperately for him. Eventually, every students of the class won the competition was awarded a delicate notebook.
The competition was highly thought by students. Not only did it build up their bodies, but it also strengthen their teamwork. Plus, the competition received positive response from parents and teachers, what made a hit in the circle of WeChat.
